CONCEPT PROPOSAL
B R I N G I N G N AT U R E I N D O O R
THE PRESSURE AND STRESS IN OFFICE TA R G E T A U D I E N C E ： O F F I C E W O R K E R
As for urbanites, work pressure is one of the biggest sources of people’s life pressures, and most of people’s working time is spent indoors. As modern buildings are generally made of concrete and steel and some office areas are very narrow with low ceilings, lacking light brings invisible pressure on people. Office workers spend one third of their time in offices. According to relevant reports, office space is still partitioned into “dovecotes”, in particular in the IT industry. Although this layout increases the space utilization ratio, it disregards people’s comfortableness in work and people’s needs for mental life. Such inappropriate workspace does not play a positive role; instead, it aggravates people’s mental pressure. Being under pressure for a long time poses threats to people’s health and causes people’s psychological and physical diseases such as mental fatigue, mood swings, sleep disorder, distraction and headache. The data shows stressed workers have double the healthcare costs.
H O W D O E S N AT U R E I M PA C T O U R H E A LT H , W E L L B E I N G & P R O D U C T I V I T Y I N O F F I C E S ?
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Access to nature in the workplace is related to lower levels of perceived job stress and higher levels of job satisfaction (Kaplan and Kaplan, 1989).
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Workers with a view of trees and flowers felt that their jobs were less stressful and they were more satisfied with their jobs than others who could only see built environments from their window. In addition, employees with views of nature reported fewer illnesses and headaches (Kaplan and Kaplan, 1989).
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A view of natural elements (trees and other vegetation) buffered the negative impact of job stress on intention to quit (Leather et al., 1998).
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“Those offices with biophilic design elements report an impressive 13% higher level of wellbeing and demonstrate 8% greater productivity. These elements include access to natural light, views on the nature, natural textures, materials and colors plus recuperation spaces to restore mental and physical energy.”
O F F I C E D E S I G N S T R AT E G I E S :
GOING FOR GREEN
To influence the way office workers to experience the office space: •
Light , shadow and reflection
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Green color
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Nature texture
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New furnishings
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Natural elements
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Live indoor plants
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Quiet working space
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Spacious space
DESIGN SKETCH